


Take Flight

by Quirky_Pen_Name



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Drabble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-07
Updated: 2013-12-07
Packaged: 2018-01-03 22:06:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1073603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quirky_Pen_Name/pseuds/Quirky_Pen_Name
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short drabble about Jean reflecting. Time makes memories fade but his resolution remains in tact.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Flight

**Author's Note:**

> These idiots destroy my life more each day. Though the drabble is only Jean/Marco if you squint really hard and tilt your head to the right.

He flies on the wings of freedom. Soars through the air to ease his thoughts and troubles. Finding his usual quiet spot, he jumps to the ground in one smooth motion. There’s a tree stump nearby that he takes a seat on to catch his breath.

Callous thoughts enter the forefront of his mind as he adjusts his cape. Though he isn't looking at the emblem, he knows what the bold symbol on his back represents. He chides the word 'freedom.' They may have escaped the prison of walls but no one is free from death. Jean knows that all too well.

At times, he imagines that he can hear Marco’s voice of encouragement. The truth is that the sound isn’t quite the same in his head. It’s fading and faster than he had realized it would. Hope merely spawns naivety; the ability to hold on to the past is not as easy as one thinks. Dreams may come and go, tiny glimpses of what could and should have been. Memories escape from the mind, becoming fleeting images and fading into merely a gist of what transpired. Frustration mounts. His blood boils as his mind wanders to the only memory that is clear as day. Sometimes if he looks at the palm of his hand, he can see a tiny white shrapnel of what was once dear to him. Regret plagues him. This could be enough to drive a man mad. Jean does not let it break him, despite how bitterly it seeps under his skin. He is determined to fight for humanity. Not just for his own pride, but for Marco’s. 

His fists clench when he hears the alarm sound. Rising to his feet, he begins to run toward headquarters. And as much as he hates to do it every time, he leaves his feelings behind on that spot. Because distractions cost lives. No one else was going to die on his watch. Even if that devotion to being heroic came too little and too late to save his friend. His confidant. His heart. 

As he nears headquarters, his mind becomes focused on the impending battle. Self preservation and the old priorities that he had fancied were gone. It was his duty to stay alive. As long as he lives, Marco lives as well.

Jean draws his blades. He kisses the hilt for good luck as was tradition. He believes, without a doubt, that Marco always watches him take flight.


End file.
